Farewells and Finales

In the Fall I wrote two blog posts about what I was watching on TV. (Fall Entertainment and National Stay at Home week) and I hate to admit it, but my shows are something I look forward to enjoying after the kids (and often times Joe) go to bed. It's interesting to go back and read my comments on shows just starting out in the fall and compare them to how I feel now that most of the shows have wrapped up for the season. And just in case you are not caught up on your Now Playing List, let this be a warning: Spoilers ahead!

Hands down the best season finale:

Grey's Anatomy. I was pretty lukewarm about this season of Grey's Anatomy from the beginning and then when Izzy started seeing dead people, I found myself rolling my eyes. Even when we found out the reason behind her hallucinations I was still pretty disappointed with most of the story lines (although I think McSteamy and Lexie make a cute couple). But the season finale got me - it had me on the edge of my seat and I was definitely shocked, so much so that I couldn't stop thinking about it the next day and even rewatched the last hour to see if there were any clues about what would eventually happen. I have to say that was darn good writing.

Can you say cliffhanger?:

I hadn't talked much about Lost before because it wasn't returning until February but it continued to engage me this year, although Joe is frustrated that they raise more new questions without explaining those that are still unanswered. I can't even say that I was that surprised that they would end the season with such a huge cliffhanger. By now you kind of expect it from this show but I am pretty eager to see how things will play out next year when they finish off the series. I have some theories for how I think things are going to ultimately end, but my argument for my biggest theory kind of lost steam with some of the events from the finale and honestly, I am kinda glad.

The award for "That was a season finale?" goes to:

Brothers and Sisters. I have nothing but love for this show and continue to feel that way but the season ender just didn't seem like a finale to me. I also continue to think that Dave Annable is HOT! Just sayin.

Most disappointing season finale:

Desperate Housewives. Before the season started I didn't know how I would feel about their 5 year leap ahead in the future but by the second episode, I was officially engrossed. And then the Dave plotline got dragged out as well as several other subplots and then it just got downright creepy in the last episode. So much so that by the time the episode ended I could care less who Mike was kissing up at the alter.

What's still on my DVR?:

A little embarrassing considering what a fan I am but I still have the last 2 episodes of Fringe to watch. Oops!

So what makes me laugh? Wait for it:

Pretty much the only sitcom I watch is How I Met your Mother. This show is smothered in its own awesomeness from the episode with Jesus' 3 day rule to the gang's interventions for one anothers quirky habits. Sometimes I forget the premise of the show simply because I am just too darn busy enjoying the gangs antics. It kind of reminds me of Friends.

Okay, let's talk reality, reality, reality:

So it's the day after the big American Idol finale and after eight seasons, they still know how to create the drama. This season had so much talent, which I think was appropriately represented with the final two. Kris was a favorite of mine from the beginning and not just because he is easy on the eyes and makes me feel like a complete cougar but also because he stayed true to himself and made every song uniquely his. Adam did the same thing and I looked forward to what he would do from week to week BUT his big voice was not always my cup of tea and I had trouble seeing him as a recording artist. I love Adam and would have been just as happy if he had won. Now I have talked to a lot of people who felt differently and were really turned off by Adam's style of singing and over the top performances and they also preferred Kris. So although I was surprised by the result, I could see how Kris took the title in the end. HOWEVER, I really don't want to hear that Adam lost for any other reason because I honestly believe that it had everything to do with people's personal taste in music and nothing else. And I have to say that I really didn't appreciate Hollywood trying to cram Adam down our throat. Seriously, no wonder it was such an upset. They had anointed him king weeks ago, even allowing him to grace the cover of major entertainment magazines. I never personally blamed Adam for it but pleazzze. And Simon, couldn't you have been the bigger person and stood up for Kris at the end? Your straight to the point attitude may keep people tuning in but that was just plain immature. He looked like a little kid sulking because he didn't get his way. Nuff said on that.

Dancing with the Stars had a lot of talent this year too and I could have seen any of the three finalists winning, or so I thought. When they announced Shawn as the winner on Tuesday night, I felt disappointed. I guess I had hoped that Gilles would have won because frankly he was consistently good every week, put his heart and soul into it and he really, really (and I mean really) wanted it. On a positive note, I just heard that he got a role on Brothers and Sisters for next season. I wonder who he will play?

Amazing Race was, well amazing once again this year. I still laugh at the thought of runaway cheese blocks and the contestants attempts at dodging them. I really want to see an all female team win, so much so that there was a moment that I was actually rooting for Jaime and Cara even though they had been un-PC and totally rude to the people they encountered on the race. But the team I really wanted to see win was Luke and Margie because I am partial to mother-son pairings. It just broke my heart to see Luke hit a wall in that last challenge. Especially knowing that as a fan of the show, he had prepared for it. Still, they went far and proved a lot.

And what about those guilty pleasures:

90210 and Gossip Girl are still on season pass and if they happen to make the spinoff of GG about Lily's escapades in the 80's, I will shamelessly watch that as well as I have been a fan of Britney Snow since American Dreams (which coincidentally is another show NBC canceled on me). On cable, I have to admit to still watching The Hills (but not after Lauren is gone), The City and the Real Housewives of Orange County. I don't watch any of the other Housewives series because I am still hanging onto the excuse that my only reason for watching the show is because I used to work in the gated community where the OC cast lives. LOL!

A moment of silence for those shows that didn't make it to a season finale or won't be returning:

My Own Worst Enemy, which is really unfortunate because it was really good and highly innovative. I am growing increasingly frustrated with NBC's unwillingness to give new or struggling shows a chance. We also said good-bye to ER and although it was definitely time, it was nice to see the series go out on a high note. The less medical drama, the better. I have enough anxiety about my health as it is.

So there you have it folks, and not that you asked but this is my recap of what really caught my attention during May sweeps. Now I have to figure out how to explain to my kids why my rantings about the boob tube is relevant to a blog that is supposed to emulate the inner workings of a baby book. What the heck, I'll figure something out.